Keep Holding On
by actlikesummer
Summary: Sequel to "Somebody to Love Me". Three years after Sarah became a Kowalski, her life has changed in ways she couldn't imagine. But when life throws obstacles at her, she will have to get help from the people she relies on most...her family.
1. Rooftop Reunion

Abby Kowalski sat on her rooftop, looking at the fire that crackled in front of her and listening to the radio. She held a beer in her right hand, and waited for her brothers to join her. Since the weather was warmer now that spring had started, there had been many nights where four of the five Kowalski children had met to have a few beers around a fire. The only one that had been missing for a few months was the youngest Kowalski.

Although Sarah had joined their family only four years prior she had quickly become part of their family. Once she graduated high school, she got the chance to live her dream and not long after, became a popular country singer. Since she was gone for months at a time on tour, her family had to get used to her crazy schedule in order to talk to her about anything, and in Abby's case, everything.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she heard three male voices coming up the stairs.

"Hey Abby." Richie smiled and plopped down next to her, opening his beer.

"What's up, Abby?" Steve asked as he and Donnie also sat down.

"Yeah, you look lost in thought." Donnie commented. "Just be careful so you don't hurt yourself."

She gave him a look, and smiled. "Funny, Donnie. Just…thinking about Sarah."

Her brother nodded. "I think we all are."

"Isn't she supposed to be coming home soon?" Richie asked.

"Yeah, I think Dad was saying something about that at dinner the other night." Steve agreed.

Abby was about to speak, but quickly shut her mouth, reaching down to the radio.

"What's up Abby?" Richie asked.

"Quiet." She said quickly and turned up the volume.

"_So have you guys heard the latest on Sarah Kowalski? No? Well, I have here for you a new song by her. It seems that it was leaked from her new album. I bet her management team is not happy, but I know I am. Here's her newest song, Quitter."_

The song started and Abby looked up at her brothers. "Wow."

"I bet she's not happy about that." Donnie muttered.

"It's nice to know that y'all are keeping tabs on me."

They all turned to the door, and were shocked to see their younger sister standing there, smiling at them. Sarah had changed a lot since she joined them. Not only had she opened up way more than she had, she had also changed her style. Standing in front of them, she wore a gray button up t-shirt with white shorts. Her brown hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and she wore a cute pair of brown heels.

"Well if it isn't our Grammy-winning sister." She laughed and walked forward and was quickly swept up into a hug by Steve, followed by her other siblings.

"What are you doing here?" Abby asked, laughing as she hugged her sister.

Sarah shrugged and plopped down into a chair next to Donnie. "My tour ended. Now I just have to work on my new album. Oh…and deal with that stupid leak."

They nodded. "Yeah we just heard. It sounds good, though." Richie told her.

She smirked. "Thanks, dude. We'll see what happens. It wasn't supposed to be released for another month, but obviously that isn't happening now. Hopefully it goes over well."

"So…new album?" Steve asked her.

She nodded and opened a water bottle. "Yeah. I've been working on it for a while, during my tour and everything. We're having a launch party in about three or four months. I will give you guys the date at dinner." She grinned. "I brought a copy of the of what it will look like, if you want to see it."

"Duh." Richie laughed and she rolled her eyes, pulling it out of her purse and handing it to him.

"So who else knows that you're back?" Abby asked her, waiting for Richie to hand over the cd.

Sarah sighed. "You guys. I will stop by to see Mom and Dad tomorrow, and Conrad is coaching right now."

"How's he handling that?" Donnie wondered and his sister sighed.

"He likes it…for the most part. He misses playing, though. He still hasn't fully gotten over that his injury has stopped him playing like that." She shrugged.

Richie handed Abby the cd and immediately she dropped her beer. "Oh my God."

Sarah tried to stop herself from smiling. Steve looked at her. "What?"

Abby looked at them. "This cd…says 'Sarah Austin'."

It took a second for it to click in their heads but when it did they all looked at Sarah, who was beaming.

"Sarah…" Steve sat forward. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

She cocked an eyebrow and rested her chin on her left hand, flashing the diamond ring that she had been hiding. "What do you think?"

"Oh my God!" Abby shouted and pulled her into a hug. "You're engaged!" Then she smacked her. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Sarah laughed. "It just happened. Conrad came to see me when I was in Michigan about a week ago. He proposed after my concert and since I knew I was coming back, I waited to tell you." She paused. "No one says anything to Mom and Dad until I tell them tomorrow, got it?"

They nodded. "Definitely."

"I can't believe you are engaged." Richie said with a smile.

She nodded. "Me either…trust me." She chuckled.

"So have you guys figured out yet when you want to do it?" Donnie was curious and Sarah bit her lip.

"June 23rd."

They stared at her. "Three months?"

She sighed. "We don't want to wait. We want to do this with as little time for the press to find out as possible. They will be expecting a long planning process for a huge wedding. We don't want a huge wedding. Plus…it's his dad's birthday. He wants his dad to play a part in our wedding and…this is a good way to have that happen."

"Mom's going to have a field day when she finds out how much time there is to plan this thing." Donnie pointed out.

Sarah nodded. "I know. That's why I am going to need a lot of help from my maid of honor."

"So when does Cassie get here?" Abby asked with a smile.

She shrugged with a smirk. "Probably not for a while, considering she isn't my Maid of Honor."

All four of them stopped and looked at her with confused, shocked looks. "But she's your best friend." Richie said.

She nodded and slid her gaze to Abby. "And you're my sister. Cassie's totally fine with this."

Abby's jaw dropped. "But…she's been your best friend forever. I've only been your sister for-"

"For my entire life." She paused as she played with the necklace they had given her for the first Christmas that she was with them. "I am Sarah Kowalski. As far as I'm concerned, Sarah Hicks never existed. You've been my family for the only part of my life that has mattered." She turned to Abby. "I want you as my Maid of Honor, Abby."

Abby was touched. "Oh my God." She smiled. "You're getting married."

Sarah laughed and took a deep breath. "I know."

* * *

I told you I would have a sequel for you today! :)

Also, I do not own "Against the Wall" or the song I mentioned, "Quitter", which is sung by Carrie Underwood.

I also need to know what you guys want to see for Abby and Brody in this story: dating or married? Let me know. Thanks!


	2. Bribing & Bikinis

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Against the Wall', but if I did it would be coming back for another season.

* * *

Sarah shook her head as she sipped her coffee, waiting for her brothers to join her and Abby at their mother's bakery. It was a really hot day, so she was wearing a thin white dress, with a brown belt and brown wedges. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head, and she and Abby were enjoying the air conditioning.

"They're not going to do it." She said and took a bite of her muffin.

Abby smiled. "Yes they will…they just might gripe about it a bit."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "God…you think they know that by asking them here, I want something from them?"

Her sister shrugged. "Uh…probably."

They both laughed as the door to the bakery opened and their brothers strolled in. They looked at their sisters sitting at the table in the window, and walked up to them.

Donnie sighed. "Okay, which one of you wants something?"

"What makes you think we want something from you, Donnie?" Abby asked quickly.

"Why else would you want to meet us here in the middle of the day?" Steve asked and moved his gaze between the two of them.

"Can't we just want to have a snack with our older brothers?" She wondered with a seemingly innocent look on her face.

The three of them looked at each other, wondering if they should trust their sisters, and finally they decided to. "Okay fine." Richie nodded.

Sarah looked. "But you know…if you're offering…"

They nodded. "I knew it." Donnie told her.

"What is it now?" Richie said with his hands on his hips.

"I need you guys to help me move." She said.

"You're moving?" Donnie asked immediately and she sighed.

"Yes Donnie…I am moving in with Conrad." She said slowly, as if talking to a child. "When two people get married, they move in together."

He gave her a look. "But you guys aren't married yet."

She looked at her other siblings. "Please help."

Steve and Richie stepped back. "Hey…we knew it was going to happen but it doesn't mean we like it. Couldn't you wait until after the wedding?"

She stared at him. "What's the difference?"

"You know...that way you guys will be married…and you know…" Richie spit out.

Abby chuckled and looked at her sister. "They're worried that when you guys move in together you'll be doing…things."

Sarah stared at her, then looked at her brothers, and then laughed out loud for a minute. "Oh my God, seriously? You guys are worried that we'll….?" She laughed and sipped her coffee. "Trust me…you guys are a little late for that one. That boat sailed long ago."

"Oh my God!"

"Gross!"

"Sarah!"

She and Abby laughed and Sheila emerged from the back. "What is going on out here?"

Sarah sighed and turned to her, with a pout. "They're not cooperating." She whined and Richie rolled his eyes.

"You're worse than my children." Steve muttered and while her mother's back was turned, Sarah stuck her tongue out at them and smiled.

Sheila looked at her boys. "Help your sister. Your father has already agreed and I know for a fact that none of you are working on Saturday."

"Dustin is helping, too. If you guys all come, it shouldn't take that long." Sarah paused. "And I am buying the pizza and beer."

"Oh I'm in."

"Yeah I think I could do that."

"I'm sure I could work that out."

She rolled her eyes and Sheila walked back into the kitchen. "Thank you."

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Donnie asked her as she stood to leave. "You brought us here so that if we said no you could get Mom to guilt us into it."

She flashed him a grin and winked. Then she grabbed her purse, slipped on her sunglasses, and left with a wave.

Richie turned to his siblings. "When did she get like this?"

…

"Aunt Sarah! Aunt Sarah!"

Sarah laughed as she walked through the back door at Steve's house and her nieces ran up to hug her in their bathing suits. The minute they hugged her, she knew they had already been in the water.

"Hey! Girls…" Steve said as he walked up. "You're going to get her clothes all wet."

They giggled and ran back to Gail who was sitting next to the water waiting for them.

"Too late." Sarah smirked.

"Sorry." Steve shrugged.

"It's fine." She said and plopped down into a chair next to Steve.

Still keeping one eye on the girls, Gail walked over to join them. "So the big move's tomorrow."

She nodded. "Yeah. It's so weird. I basically just got used to living there when I started touring, and now I am just getting used to being back from touring and I am moving again." She laughed as the girls splashed each other. "But I am definitely ready to do this. Then I can worry about wedding details…like your bridesmaids dresses."

Gail looked at her. "Wait…our bridesmaids dresses?"

"You're going to need a dress if you want to be in my wedding, Gail." Sarah shook her head and looked at Steve. "Laura said the same thing. Why are they always shocked?"

He shrugged. "Who knows."

Gail hugged her. "You really want me in your wedding?"

"Duh." Sarah laughed again. "You're my sister. I need my sisters in my wedding."

"I'm honored." She told Sarah and they hugged again.

"Women." Steve shook his head. "I will never understand you."

They both looked at him. "You should, with the amount of Dr. Phil and Oprah you watch." Gail said with a smirk.

He stared at his wife and Sarah tried to hide back a laugh. She looked over at the girls, who kept jumping into the water. Gail stood. "Sarah…will you be joining us in the water?"

Sarah smiled. "Yes…I think I will."

As her sister-in-law walked away again, Sarah stood and pulled her shirt off, revealing her bikini.

"What the hell is that?" Steve said sitting up in his chair.

Sarah mentally cringed. She had forgotten about the tattoo she had gotten two months before. Her family knew she had tattoos, but this one was larger than the others.

She had gotten her first tattoo with Conrad in high school. He had tattooed her name on his arm, and on her foot she got the date that her parents had adopted her.

She got her second one after she graduated. The music notes on the back of her neck were easy enough to conceal, although she didn't hide them for long. Sheila had figured it out quickly enough and broke the news to her husband, as tattoos had always bugged him. He was surprisingly okay with it, but made her promise not to hide any more from him.

Her third tattoo she got just before her nineteenth birthday. She had been visiting Cassie and had decided randomly to get tattoos. As she had promised, she told Don and Sheila when she got home, and they realized that the heart with an infinity sign through it probably wouldn't be her last.

They were right, because on her twentieth birthday, Conrad and Dustin took her to get another tattoo. She had spent some time thinking about what she would get, and in the end she went with a quote, "Don't forget to love yourself", on her left forearm. When her siblings asked her why she chose it, she told them that it was a daily reminder that whatever happens you have to remember that you are perfect and don't need to be changed. With everything that had happened in her past, she just needed that reminder.

Now, standing poolside, she groaned. "Crap."

"When did you get that?" He demanded.

Her tattoo, which was a cluster of tiny black butterflies that started on the back of her left hip and thinned out as it travelled halfway up her spine, was easily seen with the bikini she had on. "A couple months ago during my tour, after one of the concerts."

He shook his head. "How many is that now?"

"Five." She told him. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No. I just think that Dad is going to go nuts when he sees it, especially since you promised to tell him whenever you got a new one..."

She nodded. "I know. But I promised I would tell him." She shrugged and took off of her shorts.

Steve looked up at her. "You're not really going to tell him, are you?"

"Oh definitely not." She shook her head and jumped into the pool.

* * *

Here is chapter two! It is kind of a filler, but I just needed something to keep this moving to this things I have planned! Let me know what you think, and what you want to see happen in this story.


	3. Moving Day

Disclaimer: I do not own "Against the Wall".

* * *

By the time her siblings showed up the next morning to help them move, Sarah had been awake for three hours already. She wore a gray cropped-top t-shirt with the words "Run WILD" printed on top of tiny blue and pink polka dots, a white tank top underneath that, and denim shorts as she sat at the counter in the kitchen barely looking up when the front door to her parents' house opened and Steve, Donnie, and Abby walked in.

"You're awake?" Donnie asked, shocked, and checked the oven clock. "It's only nine!"

She looked up and stared at him. "What's your point?"

"You're not even half asleep down here. Usually we have to drag you out of bed…literally." He said as he sat down next to her.

"I've been up for three hours, Donnie." She told him and stood, taking her dirty breakfast dishes and coffee mug to the sink.

"Oh my God, you were up at six?" Abby sighed as she sat in Sarah's vacated chair.

Sarah nodded as she washed her dishes. "I had to jog."

"But why so early?" Steve spoke up for the first time.

"I have to exercise early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing." She said and turned to look at them, a huge grin on her face.

They were shaking their heads at her joke when the front door opened again and Richie walked in. "You're awake!"

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, guys? What do you think I do on tour?" They shrugged. "I have to get up at four sometimes."

"Oh my God." Abby exclaimed. "I could never do it."

Sarah shrugged. "Once you get the hang of it, it really isn't that bad." She finished washing her dishes and turned to see everyone staring at her. "Okay fine…it sucks; all the time, every time."

"Sounds about right." Richie nodded. "I never did understand how you could sleep so late."

"Yeah, what's that saying?" Donnie paused. "The early bird gets the worm?"

"The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese." She cocked an eyebrow and winked at Abby.

"So where is everyone else?" Abby asked with a smirk.

"Mom had to go to the bakery. She is coming by later with food. Dustin and Conrad are getting his things, and they are meeting us there. Dad is getting a truck and when he gets back, we'll start loading." Sarah said.

"You know it's kind of nice that you'll be living so close to Abby and I." Steve said.

It was true; the apartment that she and Conrad had bought was right in the middle of the three block span between Abby's apartment and Steve's house. It was one of the things that made them choose it, as they didn't want to be too far from family.

"Oh I know. That's part of the reason we chose that one. It's kind of a nice feeling that you guys are super close if we need you." She smiled and looked up as the front door opened again.

Don walked into the kitchen and sighed. "Come on! We have a lot to do." He smiled and as everyone walked out of the kitchen towards the garage, he put his arm around Sarah's shoulders. "You ready to move out?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah…I think I am."

…

It took them well into the afternoon to move everything of Sarah's and Conrad's stuff into the new apartment. Everyone agreed that it was a nice place; it was big, spacious, and not only did it have a balcony with an amazing view, but there was a staircase leading to a small upper-level landing, where the couple planned on putting their bedroom.

"Holy crap!" Richie had exclaimed when he first walked in. "This place is amazing. How the hell did you afford this?"

Sarah just glared at him. "Really, dude? What do I do for a living?"

"Oh…right."

As she promised, they had provided the pizza and beer for her family and Dustin and once they were all moved in they left the young couple to spend some time in their new apartment.

"Oh my God." Conrad exclaimed as he plopped onto their couch. "This was a crazy day."

She crashed next to him. "I know. I'm so tired."

He eyed her. "There's something bothering you."

She looked at him and shook her head as Riley jumped onto her lap and curled up. "What are you talking about? I just moved in with the man I'm going to marry. How could anything be wrong?"

He continued to eye her. "Sarah…I know you well enough to know that something is wrong." He paused. "Please tell me."

She sighed. "It's just weird. I mean I lived in that house and that's where I got my family. It's just weird moving out." She chuckled.

"That's understandable." Conrad nodded. "Now tell me the rest."

She stared at him then looked down at her hands. "I just…I spent most of my life living without a family. Then I moved here and I got one and I lived in a house where I had a family." She paused again and bit her lip. "I'm just afraid that now that I don't live in the house anymore…they'll forget me like my birth family did."

Conrad looked at his fiancé with sadness in his eyes. "Oh, baby." He put his arm around her and pulled her to his chest, kissing her head. "That isn't going to happen."

She clutched his shirt, trying not to cry. "I just…I know that I am being ridiculous, but I can't help it. The last time I left a house I was living in with family, I went without a family for over ten years. I can't do that again, Conrad. It would kill me. It would absolutely kill me."

It broke his heart to hear her fear come out of her mouth, so he lifted her head and looked her in the eye. "Babe, listen to me. That is not going to happen again. I promise. The Kowalskis are not the Hicks. They love you too much to leave you. I knew that from the moment I met Steve outside the school that day." He wiped the few stray tears that cascaded down her cheeks and smirked. "I have a feeling that whether we want it or not, we're never going to be able to get rid of those people."

She laughed. "I love you."

"I know." She smacked him with a smile, and he grinned back. "I love you too."

A few hours later, Conrad had to unfortunately go to the high school to coach a game. He hated having to leave Sarah alone (even though it was only for a few hours) after her breakdown earlier, so he felt a lot better when he opened the door and saw Steve standing there.

"Steve? What are you doing here?" Sarah asked as he walked in and Conrad left.

He shrugged and sat on the couch with her. "I knew Conrad was leaving to coach and it can be weird in a new place, especially on the first night."

She stared at him. "Conrad called you, didn't he?"

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "This is why it pays to have family so close by. Now explain to me what happened."

She sighed and explained the story to him. She felt bad telling him as she didn't want him to feel like she doubted their love for her after all of these years, but she knew that out of all of her siblings, he was the easiest to talk to…other than Abby.

"Sarah we're not leaving you. You can't get rid of us. I know it probably freaks you out, but we're not going anywhere. You are stuck with us until you die." He smirked. "Unfortunately, that also means we're stuck with you."

She rolled her eyes and smacked him. "Oh shut up. Your lives would be so empty without me."

It was Steve's turn to roll his eyes as he found a pillow and smacked her with it. She laughed as Riley barked in the background and hit him back. She was grateful for the gesture, and it calmed her fears.

…

Don sighed as he saw Sheila standing in the doorway to Sarah's room.

"I know I should be used to this from when she is on tour, but now it really feels like she is gone." Sheila said quietly.

"Sheila she's not really gone. They only live ten minutes away." He kissed her head.

"I know. But still." She sighed. "What if they need something?"

Don chuckled. "Then they'll call. And if they can't get us, they live one block from Steve and two blocks from Abby." He turned her around to face him. "They'll be fine."

"I don't know." She said.

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I just have this feeling that something is going to happen." She told her husband.

He shook his head. "Sheila they will be fine."

She nodded. "I hope so."

* * *

So she finally moved in with Conrad! I hope you guys liked this chapter. If you are confused about Riley, he is the dog that Conrad gave Sarah for her eighteent birthday in the first story.

I have also decided that Brody and Abby are going to still be dating in this story. If you really don't like that, and want them to be married already, let me know soon. Thanks!


	4. Days of Dustin and Dresses

Disclaimer: I do not own "Against the Wall". I only own Sarah, Conrad, Dustin and anyone else you don't know from the show. :)

* * *

About a week later, Sarah's fears had long since been quelled by the simple fact of her family never leaving the apartment. If it wasn't one of her sisters coming to help her unpack and arrange everything, or their parents checking to see if they needed anything, then it was her brothers coming to gawk at their huge new place to hang out.

She had said her opinion on that. "No. Uh-uh. My apartment is not going to turn into Abby's rooftop. It is not our new hang. Understand?"

However, so far, they hadn't listened very well. She was glad for a reason to get out of there as she walked towards the coffee shop to have lunch with Dustin. He had called her earlier that morning, and she could tell he had a lot on his mind. When she walked into the building, she spotted him immediately.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one.

"Oh my God!" The pair looked up as a blond their age came running over. "I can't believe it!"

They stared at her for a minute, until something in her actions clicked in Sarah's head. "Shelly?"

Her head bobbed up and down excitedly. "You remember me!"

Sarah nodded slowly. "Uh…yeah. I couldn't forget you." She sent a look to Dustin.

This statement didn't fully register in Shelly's head, and she continued to grin. Then she sat down, as if they were old friends. "So how are you? I love your music. It's so awesome that you went all the way with that! Isn't it just so cool?"

"So cool." She told her and held back a laugh. "I'm…okay. How are you?" She asked awkwardly and kicked Dustin under the table.

"Oh I am good, I-" She trailed off and stared at Sarah's hand. "Oh my God. You're engaged? Oh my God!"

She forced Sarah into a hug and Sarah looked awkwardly at Dustin, who still hadn't spoken. "Yeah…I am."

"That is so cool! You and Conrad were so attached in high school I figured you would never break up. But then you got famous and you start dating someone and now you are getting married!" She squealed, causing a few people to stare at them. "So what is his name?"

"Conrad."

Shelly stared at her. "You are getting to a guy that has the same name as your high school boyfriend?"

Sarah looked at Dustin, a shocked look on her face that said 'Is she serious?' and looked back at Shelly. "No. It's Conrad…from high school. Conrad Austin."

"Oh my God! That is so cool! I thought that when you guys went to different schools, you might break up, but it looks like he isn't the only one you've stuck with since high school." She glanced at Dustin.

"What's the supposed to mean?" He asked.

Shelly looked at Sarah. "Oh, I just can't believe that being such a big star now, you've stayed friends with this loser. You could have ditched him for much more exciting and rich friends."

"Hey Shel," Sarah looked at her. "If you ever become a mother, can I have one of your puppies?"

Dustin looked at her, shocked. Shelly just looked confused. "I-"

"You know what's funny?" She asked again.

"No…what?"

"The way that after all of these years your voice alone can still make my ears bleed." She cocked an eyebrow. "If you want to keep talking, I can make yours bleed too."

Shelly was speechless. "You cannot just talk to me like that! You threatened me! You can't just get away with that!" She looked up and saw two cops walk by the window and quickly went to get them.

Sarah sighed. "I wouldn't do that if I were you…" She muttered and rolled her eyes.

A moment later, she had to hold in a laugh when Shelly came back with the two cops: Richie and Brody.

"Here she is, officers. She threatened me." Shelly pointed at her.

Sarah stood, putting a hand on her heart. "I did no such thing, honey." She laid her accent on thick and looked at Dustin. "Did you hear me threaten her?" He shook his head and she looked at the table next to them. "Did y'all hear me threaten this woman?" They too shook their heads and she turned back to her brother and Brody. "Officers, I am sorry for this miscommunication."

Shelly glared at her. "I can't believe I liked your music."

"Sorry, ma'am, but we can't really do anything unless she physically hurt you or others heard her threaten you." Brody told her.

Sarah sighed. "Again, I'm sorry." She pretended to look at their badges. "Officer Brody." She turned to Richie. "Officer…Kowalski." She looked back at Shelly and cocked her eyebrow.

The look on her face was priceless as she ran out of the building and Dustin high-fived his best friend. "That was awesome!"

Sarah sat back down and grinned. "After all of these years, she is still a bully."

"You're crazy." Her brother-in-law told her and she smiled at him.

"Thanks, Brody." She winked.

They soon left the pair to their lunch and Sarah could tell that something was bothering her friend. "Dustin…what's going on?"

He looked up. "I…kind of have to tell you something."

"Okay…you know you can tell me anything." She paused. "Does this have anything to do with the wedding?"

He shook his head. "No! No, I love being Conrad's best man. No...it's nothing like that." He hesitated. "I just…I have wanted to tell you for a while, and I just don't know how."

"Dustin…just tell me." She said and watched him carefully.

He sighed. "Sarah, I'm…gay."

She stared at him for a moment. When he didn't continue she opened her mouth. "And…?"

"What?" He was confused.

She chuckled. "I already knew that."

"What?" He exclaimed, relaxing a lot. "How?"

"You're my best friend. I know you well enough to figure these things out." She shrugged and ate her salad.

"But…why didn't you say anything?" He asked her.

"It wasn't for me to bring up. I knew you'd tell me when you were ready to tell me." She put her hand on his. "Dustin, I don't care about that. It won't make me stop loving you."

He grinned. "You think Conrad will be okay with it?"

"He already knows, too." She smirked. "We figured it out a while ago."

He nodded. "I should have figured that." He paused. "So…I guess this is where I tell you I have a boyfriend."

She dropped her fork. "Dustin Carlisle…I hate you."

He stared at her. "Huh?"

"I have been home for almost two weeks now, and I have seen you multiple times. How could not tell me you were dating someone?"

He shrugged. "I'm sorry!" They laughed. "So…can I invite him to the wedding?"

She stared at him, deadpanned. "No. You can't."

He smiled. "Thanks, Sarah."

…

"So you were right." Abby said as she, Gail, Laura, Sheila, Sarah, Madi, and Conrad's mom sat in the dress shop.

Sarah nodded. "Of course I was. When am I ever wrong?" She looked at her sister. "Don't answer that."

They all laughed as a woman came back to help them. "Oh my gosh. You're Sarah Kowalski." She shook her hand. "It's great to meet you. So…dress shopping?"

Sarah nodded. "My fiancé and I are getting married in three months."

The woman chuckled. "Wow."

She shrugged. "Yeah…we didn't want to wait."

The woman smiled. "That's no problem. Let's see if we can find you some dresses today. Who do you have with you today?"

"Um…this is my sister, Abby. She's my Maid of Honor. Laura and Gail are my sisters-in-law and bridesmaids. Madi is about to be my sister-in-law and she is another bridesmaid. This is my mom, Sheila, and my fiancé's mom, Amber. My other bridesmaid isn't in town, but I know her sizes."

"Well I'm Carrie." She told them. "So, did you want to do the bridesmaids' dresses first or the bride's dress?"

Sarah took a deep breath. "Let's do the bridesmaids' dresses first, and then we'll tackle mine." She smiled.

"Okay! What were you thinking?"

"Nothing too crazy. Simple, but pretty. Our colors are blue and white, so that would be best." She told Carrie.

She nodded and smiled. "I can definitely work with that. Abby, can you come with me? You'll be trying the dresses on."

Abby gave Sarah a smiled and followed Carrie to the back while Sarah sipped her champagne. They waited a few minutes and came back out. Abby was wearing a pretty, long, blue dress with a ruffled skirt.

"It's nice. I just…don't like the ruffles too much. It looks weird on that dress."

Carrie nodded. "Okay. Let's try something else."

Abby tried on a few more dresses, until finally she found one she liked. It was cobalt blue, with a sort of sweetheart neckline, and a white sash around the middle.

"I love it." She said immediately. "I absolutely love it."

"Wonderful." Carrie smiled at her.

Once she had gotten all of their information and gotten everything she needed for the dresses, it was time to try on the wedding dresses.

"Are you ready?" She asked Sarah.

Sarah nodded. "Yes!"

Just like with the bridesmaids dresses, it took her a few times to find something she actually liked. When she did, everyone knew it immediately.

She slowly walked out and smiled at her family, looking in the mirror. Immediately, she got tears in her eyes. "Oh my God."

Sheila stood and walked over to her daughter. "You look amazing, honey."

Sarah nodded robotically. "This is it. This is the one."

Carrie grinned. "I had a feeling you would like this one."

The dress was beautiful. It had a sweetheart neckline, and a beaded bodice. The skirt had lots of ruffles that fell perfectly along her body, and there was a silver design around the middle, like a sash.

"It's everything I imagined my wedding dress would look like." She bit her lip. "I have to send a picture to Cassie. She'll kill me if I don't."

Gail pulled out her phone and snapped a picture, sending it to Sarah so that she could later send it to her best friend. Sarah looked at her mom. "Do you love it?"

Sheila nodded. "I love it."

Abby walked to her other side. "You look amazing, Sarah."

The mother and daughters stood together for a moment before Sarah hugged them, tears in her eyes. "I'm getting married."

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to two great men that I knew who died today. They both did great things, and the only way I know how to honor them is by dedicating this chapter to them.

Father Bob, you may not have really known who I was by name, but it was an honor singing in church next to you every week for a few years. You taught me a lot about the Lord, and now you are at home with him. You will always be missed.

Angry Dave, you were a great man. Not many bar owners would tolerate a bunch of young people crashing your bar every Saturday during the summer just to sing karaoke. Even after I turned 18, you let me in your bar and I thank you greatly for that. You were funny, nice, and did a lot of great things for a lot of great people. Thank you for everything you did for us. Saturday night karaoke will never be the same without you.


	5. Sick Day

Disclaimer: I do not own "Against the Wall".

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Sarah spent a lot of time juggling her time. With the wedding so close, she had a lot of planning to do still; luckily, her sisters all pitched in to help. Cassie wasn't coming into Chicago until the week before the wedding, so a lot of the best friend duties were dropped on Dustin, not that he'd have it any other way.

However, she also had to work on her upcoming album. The launch party was only a few weeks after her honeymoon, so she had to get everything done before the wedding, and that didn't leave much time. She was with her management team basically every day and barely had any time to sleep.

One Saturday, Sarah had taken the day off to work on wedding details and to sleep. She had slept in until noon, when she was rudely awoken by a loud knock on the door. She groaned loudly and rolled out of bed, trudging tiredly to the door. She looked through the peephole on the door and hit her head against the door.

"Go away!" She groaned.

"Open up, Sarah."

She pulled the door open and glared at her brother. "What the Hell do you want?"

Steve looked at her. "Were you sleeping?"

She nodded. "Yes. It is Saturday, I have gotten no sleep lately, and I'm sick. Go. Away." She said and he ignored her, letting himself in.

"I brought soup from Mom." He told her and set it on the counter.

Knowing she wasn't going to get rid of him, she plopped onto the couch. "Thanks."

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he sat in the chair next to the couch.

She shrugged. "Nauseous, dizzy, you know, like I have the flu." She smirked. "I haven't gotten any sleep in the last few days or…weeks, really. This happens to me whenever I put out an album."

Steve nodded. "That really sucks."

"Yeah, I know." She smirked.

"So how is the album coming, anyway?" He asked.

"Fine. It is a lot of hard work, but that is to be expected." She chuckled lightly. "I just hope it gets a good response from the fans."

"I'm sure it will." He told her honestly. "I mean, I head that song that was leaked has had some good reviews. If that is any indication, you should be fine. Gail and I are definitely coming to your launch party. Her sister lives in the suburbs so she is going to take them for the night."

Sarah grinned. "Oh good! I think everyone is coming, and that is good. We want a big turnout for this album. It will be the first time I am doing something in my career as Sarah Austin. Hopefully, no one will know that we are married until then."

"Yeah, how is the wedding planning going anyway?"

She shrugged. "Pretty well, I guess. We have the venue for both the ceremony and reception, my old priest from North Carolina is coming in to do the ceremony."

Steve's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?"

She nodded and smiled. "I used to go to church with Cassie and her family every Sunday. The priest became an important part of my life because of everything that I was going through. Cassie and her mom spoke to him and he is thrilled."

"Well that sounds cool." He told her.

She nodded again. "Yeah it is. Other than that, I have a lot done. We have our bridal party, we booked our honeymoon in Paris, we know what our decorations will be, I have the bridesmaids' dresses and I have my dress…"

Steve noticed how her eyes sparkled as she mentioned her dress. Gail had come home that day and told him how she had looked like a princess in it…how grown up she had looked in it. He knew she was an adult now, but the fact that she was getting married made him nervous for her. He loved Conrad; but his baby sister was grown up now and he felt like it came too fast.

"It sounds like you have a lot of the details figured out already." He said, not voicing his emotions.

"We do." She nodded. "I just planned on trying to figure out a playlist or something for the DJ today…I'm not really good for anything else right now…"

He patted her knee. "Everything will work out. Between you and Conrad and the rest of us, we'll get it done."

She smiled at him. "Thanks Steve."

He stood. "Well I better go. Gail wants me to go to the store or something."

Sarah stood to lead him out, but suddenly her head started to swim. She grabbed onto Steve's arm and held her head. He immediately grabbed her and sat her down.

"Sarah…"

She shook her head as her head started to clear. "I'm…okay. I just got…dizzy for a minute."

He eyed her. "Are you sure?"

She hesitated and then nodded. "Yeah…I'm okay. I hate being sick." He didn't look so sure. "Steve, really…I'm fine."

He sighed. "Fine. But if this keeps happening, call me. I don't want you here alone getting dizzy." He paused. "Where is Conrad, anyway?"

"He had football practice today." She told him. "Okay…if it keeps happening, I will call you. I promise."

He nodded and a few minutes later he left. Sarah sighed, and walked back towards the stairs to go back to bed. She got halfway up when there was another knock at the door. Groaning once more, she dragged herself back over to the door and swung it open.

"Steve, seriously. I-" She stopped and stared at the people standing in front of her.

She couldn't even talk as they looked at her. "Hello…granddaughter."


	6. Where is Sarah?

Conrad sighed as he stepped up to the door and pulled his keys out of his pocket. It had been a long practice, and all he wanted to do was relax with his sick fiancé and watch some tv.

"Hey babe, how are you-"

He froze when he saw the apartment. It looked like a tornado had hit and he wasn't sure why, but he got a sick feeling in his gut. He quickly shut the door and dropped his bag.

"Sarah, are you here?" There was no reply. "Sarah!"

He walked around the apartment to find where she was but he realized she wasn't there.

"_Conrad she's fine. She probably went to her parents' house or she is hanging on the rooftop with the boys and Abby. Yeah, she's on the rooftop."_

He took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew that she was probably okay, but he had a bad feeling. He went to grab his cell phone from the counter, and stopped when he saw the broken glass on the floor and a stain from a dark drink on the wall where the glass had hit. He looked down and his heart fell as he saw a few drops of blood on the floor.

"_She's okay. She was probably cooking and cut herself…that has to be it."_

He quickly grabbed his keys and his cell phone, and rushed back out the door.

…

"This is a beautiful night." Richie said staring at his second beer.

Abby nodded as the breeze blew around them. They had been sitting on the roof for over an hour and it felt nice from the hot weather they'd been having.

"Too bad Sarah's sick, though." Donnie sighed. "Hey, Steve, you saw her today right?"

He nodded. "She has the flu, which she claims happens every time she makes an album because of the whacky hours she works."

"Yeah, that has to suck for her sleep schedule." Richie agreed.

"I think Mom is going insane trying to help her plan this wedding." Donnie grinned after a few minutes of silence.

Before anyone could say anything else, the door was thrown open and Conrad ran up.

"Conrad." Abby sat up. "What's wrong?"

He stared at them. "I can't find Sarah."

Donnie stood and walked to him. "What do you mean you can't find my sister?"

He told them all how he had come home to find the apartment in shambles, and about the shattered glass and blood.

"I checked your parents' house; no one's home, I asked Dustin but he has no clue, and she isn't at the studio." He said quickly. "I have no idea where she is or where she could be."

"Okay, hang on." Steve stood also. "We all need to calm down. I was just with her a few hours ago…which means that she hasn't gone far. We'll find her."

…

Steve sighed as he drove around, looking for his sister. He couldn't believe they hadn't found her yet, and he wondered what could have happened that made her drop off the face if the planet so quickly.

"God, Sarah…where are you?"

He drove around for what seemed like hours, when suddenly his cell phone went off. "Ugh…hello?" There was silence. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Steve?"

"Oh my God. Sarah. Where are you?"

"I need you to come get me."

"Okay. Where are you?"

"The hospital."

* * *

It is short...I know. I couldn't figure out how to continue this chapter. I promise that the next chapter will be longer!


	7. Just the Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Against the Wall. **

**Hey guys! I am so sorry for the wait. I have been extremely busy recently. Between working for my aunt, taking care of my grandmother, both cars being broken, and getting ready for vacation...let's just say it has been a hectic time.**

**But I am back now and hopefully will be updating quicker than before. I am going on vacation soon, and my house does not have internet, so I will only be posting when we go to the bar. But I will be writing when I am at the house, so I should be getting them up faster than I have been recently.**

**If you have anything that you want to see happen in this story, let me know! I will try to work it in.**

**Ok...enjoy!**

* * *

Steve held his breath as he hurried to the hospital. Knowing they would freak out, Sarah had instructed him not to tell anyone else where she was, but she needed someone to pick her up. She finally reached his destination, and jumped out of his car. The minute he was in the building he asked for her.

"Try the third floor."

He sighed and walked to the elevator. It only took a minute to get upstairs and he started to ask everyone about her.

"Steve, calm down."

He turned and saw her. Other than the fact that she looked naseous, a bit out of it from the pain meds, and the bandage on her hand, she looked relatively okay. "Thank God."

He hugged her and then looked at her as they walked to the car. "Are you okay? What happened? Conrad said that your place is a mess?"

She shrugged. "It's a long story." She told him and when they climbed into the car, he faced her.

"Start talking, otherwise you are going to have to wait until we are with everyone else."

She rolled her eyes. "Crap. Fine." She hesitated. "Right after you left, I got a….surprise at my door." She paused. "Do you remember passing an elderly couple on your way out of my building?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

She sighed and looked at her hands before looking back up at him. "Their names are Katherine and William…Hicks."

"Okay…what does this have to do with-" He stopped. "Wait, did you just say Hicks?" She nodded. "Your grandparents?"

…

Sarah sighed, staring at her family, who had gathered around the kitchen table of her parents' house. "They just showed up. I have no idea how they found me or how they even knew I was adopted! I could barely think to realize what was happening, let alone slam the door, and they just walked right in."

"What did they want?" Conrad asked slowly.

She bit her lip. "That's the complicated thing."

"Tell us, Sarah." Don told her sternly.

"Well...I didn't exactly give them a chance to tell me. I just started yelling about how they have no right to be here and that they can't just barge in on my life." She chuckled dryly. "Needless to say, that didn't go over well."

"But how did you hurt yourself?" Sheila asked, lightly touching her daughter's hand.

"I shattered the glass I was holding."

Richie, despite the tense atmosphere, smirked and rolled his eyes as the doorbell rang. Gail went to get it and came back with a shocked look.

"Uh…"

"What is it?" Steve asked her, standing from his seat.

She gave him a look and stepped aside, revealing the elderly couple behind her. "We're here for our granddaughter."

Everyone stared at them and Conrad gripped Sarah's uninjured hand tightly. "Get out of here. Half of the people in this room are cops. They can make you leave." She told them immediately.

Katherine looked at her with disgust. "How dare you talk to us like that?"

"Why are you here?" Don asked, taking a protective stance in front of his family.

William looked at him. "We came for Sarah. We need her to come back to North Carolina."

"No way in hell I'm going anywhere with you." She spat.

"When we found out she had been adopted, we were furious." Katherine told them all. "She belongs in North Carolina."

"You have no rights over her anymore." Sheila stepped forward next to her husband. "We're her parents."

"We need you to come home with us." She told Sarah. "We need you to marry our friend's grandson…for a business deal."

"Are you kidding me?" She shouted and stood, despite Conrad and Dustin trying to keep her sitting. Conrad stood and put his hand on her lower back, steadying her.

"You have to…we're family."

She laughed. "Are you kidding me? You are not my family! The people who are here in this room surrounding me are my family. They actually care about me. You are just using me…you always have! I don't have to do anything but kick your asses out of this house." She cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, and I'm already taken." She looked at Conrad. "Have a nice flight."

Everyone stared at them in shock. Aside from the fight with her birth mother, none of them had ever heard her yell like that. She rarely ever went off on anyone. Finally Don looked at the couple.

"I think you should leave now."

William glared at her. "This is not over."

The second they left, Sarah smiled. "Thank God. Now maybe we can finally have some normalcy in our lives again."

Sheila moved to get them tea while Conrad looked at his phone. "I have a message."

A minute later he was pale. Sarah looked at him. "Babe?"

"That was my mom. Madi's in the hospital."


	8. Hospital Talks

Hey guys! So I am officially on vacation now, so like I said before, we have no internet at our house. But I will be writing more (hopefully), so whenever we do get to use internet, I will post more chapters!

* * *

Sarah sighed as she laid across a bench in the waiting room. It had been four hours since they'd gotten call from his mother, and they still didn't know anything. All they knew, from talking with Conrad's frantic mother upon arriving, was that Madi hadn't been feeling well, and kept getting worse. When her fever spiked really high, and it couldn't be brought down, she was rushed in. So, four hours later, they still didn't know anything.

At one in the morning, she closed her eyes and tried to relax. She knew she couldn't sleep until they knew what was wrong with Madi, but she still wasn't feeling well from the flu and her hand, so she had laid down in the barely occupied waiting room. She only had them closed for a few minutes, when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Looking up, she saw Conrad, and sat up.

"Anything?" She asked him but he shook his head.

"Not yet." He sat down her head had been, and motioned for her to lay back down. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. The way she was feeling didn't matter right now. "I'm fine."

"I know you better than that, Sarah. I know when you don't feel well." He told her honestly.

"Conrad..." He looked at her and she could see that needed to know. "I feel a little nauseous and my hand kind of hurts. But honestly…I'm fine." She looked up at him. "I promise."

They stayed silent for a while. Sarah closed her eyes again, and Conrad ran his fingers through her hair. About an hour later, the doctor finally came out and told them that she had a really bad case of pneumonia that they couldn't knock out of her system. They were working at it, but it would probably take a while.

After finding out the diagnosis, they were allowed to go to Madi's room. The minute Sarah laid down on the couch, her head on Conrad's lap again, she fell asleep.

…

"So how's Madi?" Sheila asked her daughter the next day over coffee.

Sarah sighed. "It's pretty bad, Mom. The medicine they are giving her is working, but not as fast as they would like." She stared down at her coffee. "I'm scared."

It barely took a minute for everything to hit her and she started crying. Sheila quickly wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her tight. "Oh honey…it's going to be okay. Everything will work out."

Sarah sniffed and looked at her. "But why Madi? She is young still. She shouldn't have to go through this."

"Madi is going to be fine. The medicine is working, it is just going to take a bit longer than normal." Sheila rubbed her back.

"Yeah, well…the wedding is in a month and a half. If she doesn't get better soon, we will have to postpone since she can't try her dress on and all that other stuff." She paused. "Oh God…I don't even mean it like that! I have no problem doing that for her, I just meant that this is all so stressful."

"I know, honey." Her mother told her.

Sarah grew silent for a minute. "Why did they have to come back? They do nothing but bring bad luck to everyone."

Sheila, realizing she meant her grandparents, nodded. "You don't have to let them back into your life, you know. Sure, they will be angry, but after what they did to you, it is understandable why you would act that way."

"I just…I don't know. They hurt me so much and I know that I was young and it was years ago, but still." She paused. "I don't want to remember what happened. I want to forget it all and pretend that I am a real Kowlaksi."

"You are a real Kowalski." Sheila smiled.

Sarah rolled her eyes, a small smirk on her face. "You know what I mean."

Sheila nodded. "Yes I do. I also think that the past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it."

Not knowing how to respond to that, Sarah stayed silent. As much as she didn't want to face her past, maybe her mother was right. She didn't have to let Katherine and William into her life, but she could learn from her past.

Sheila decided to change the subject. "So how are you feeling?"

"Um…fine, actually. I feel a lot better today, thank God. My hand bothers me a little bit, but other than that I feel okay. I am not as nauseous today, so that is always nice." She suddenly looked at her mom. "I am kind of hungry, though…"

Sheila laughed. "Fine, what do you want?"

"Thank you!" Sarah smiled for the first time since everything happened.

* * *

The quote I used about learning form your past, is actually said by Rafiki in The Lion King. I do not own that quote. I also do not own Against the Wall.


	9. Sarah's Secret

Disclaimer: I do not own Against the Wall, but I wish I did.

I have two more chapter after this written, so I should be updating again soon! Enjoy! And please review, I feel like no one likes what I am writing...

* * *

It had been one week since Madi was admitted to the hospital, and although it was going slowly, the medicine was working. It was a small relief, but the real happiness wouldn't come until she was officially out of the hospital and back home and healthy. Conrad had been spending a lot of time at the hospital when he wasn't at practice and even though she visited a lot too, Sarah had barely seen Conrad that week. They had decided, however, that since she would be getting out of the hospital soon they were not going to postpone the wedding.

Sarah was home working some of the minor wedding plans when the door opened and Donnie walked in. "Hey Donnie." She gave him a small smile.

He sat on the couch next to her. "What're you doing?"

She shrugged. "Just wedding stuff."

"Oh, you have a lot of that still?" He asked, and she could tell that he was hesitating.

"Uh…not really. Mom's been helpful. Did you come over here for a reason, or…?"

"What? I can't come and visit my sister?" She cocked an eyebrow and he sighed. "I don't know, I guess…I was worried about you."

She was confused. "Worried about me? Why? Madi is the one in the hospital."

"Exactly."

She shut her notebook and crossed her legs, facing him. "Okay…officially confused. Please explain."

He sighed again. "You have had a lot on your plate recently. First you were sick, then your grandparents show up, you have so little time to plan the wedding and your launch party, and now Madi is in sick. You are going through so much, and I hear through the grapevine that Conrad is never here." She gave him a confused look. "Mom."

She nodded. "Oh. Yeah."

"Yeah, so I figured I would come check on you."

She sighed, and held onto a pillow that was next to her. "I'm fine Donnie. I have been working on stuff for the wedding, mostly minor things, and I go to visit Madi. Otherwise I go to dinner at Mom and Dad's, and I have seen Dustin a few times." She paused. "I mean, I get it. I do miss Conrad being around, but we've all been trying to help care for Madi."

"You have to be taken care of too." He told her quickly and she thought about that.

"Right now, Madi needs the care. I'm fine." She said.

He shook his head. "I am here to make sure you have someone taking care of you, since Conrad isn't here."

She smiled. "Thanks, Donnie."

He nodded. "Oh, and…I brought lunch."

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, you are totally my favorite brother."

"I know." He smiled and she smacked him."Ow! Is that any way to treat you favorite brother?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Do you want something to drink?"

"A beer would be great." She stood to get it for him and she made it to the kitchen, and stopped, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Sarah?" Donnie stood and walked to her.

She shook her head and sighed. "I'm okay; just a little dizzy."

He eyed her. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm good." She nodded.

"Okay. Why don't you just sit? I will get my beer." He said.

"Bring me a water?"

He nodded in response and came back a second later to eat with her. "So, I thought you weren't sick anymore?"

"I'm not." She said quickly, not looking at him.

"Then why did you get dizzy again?" He asked, a bit worried.

She sighed. "I was never 'sick' Donnie."

"You had the flu."

"No…I didn't."

"But…what…" He was confused.

She paused. "I'm pregnant."

He stared at her. "You're what?"

She nodded. "I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby."

"When did you find out?" He asked quickly, setting his food on the table and looking directly at his sister.

She shrugged. "The day my grandparents came into town and I went to have my hand fixed up. They did a blood test when I told them I wasn't feeling well and told me that I didn't have the flu…I am pregnant."

"Oh my God." He paused. "Congratulations." He hugged her.

She smiled. "Thanks Donnie. Please don't tell anyone."

He nodded. "What did Conrad say when you told him?" She paused again. "Sarah?"

She sighed. "I haven't told him yet. I have barely seen him since that day and there hasn't really been a good time to tell him! Most nights he sleeps there and he barely comes home…most of the time that he does come here I am at the studio or out with Dustin or something. So far you are the only one that knows."

"When are you going to tell him?" He asked, picking his food up again.

She shrugged. "Well I am hoping that Madi will come home in the next few days. Then I will tell him."

Donnie nodded. "So this baby…you'll name him after me, right?"

Sarah rolled her eyes and smacked him again.

…

Another week went by and finally Madi was getting better. She was scheduled to get out of the hospital in the next few days and everyone was relieved about that. However, that also meant that Sarah hadn't told Conrad about the baby yet. She was home alone again one day working on wedding things when she stood and doubled over.

"Oh my God. Ow!"

She took a few deep breaths and sat back down, leaning against the back of the couch. A few minutes later she felt it again and got really scared. She slowly reached for her cell phone, and called Donnie, since he already knew about the baby. Unfortunately, he didn't answer so she dialed Dustin.

"Hello?"

"Dustin!" She shouted.

"Sarah? What's wrong?" She could hear the worry in his voice.

"You have to come over here. Now! Oh my God, ow!"

"I'm coming now."

Dustin raced over to her apartment and burst through the door, finding her on the couch. "Sarah? What's going on?"

"I'm pregnant." She told him quickly. "You have to take me to the hospital."

He quickly held her. "Okay, come on."

"It hurts, Dustin." She whimpered.

The sound not only scared him, but broke his heart and he rushed her out the door.


	10. Where's Conrad?

Hey guys! So sorry for the delay in updating. I am still on vacation and I haven't been on my computer lately. However, because of my delay I will be posting 2 whole chapters for you today! I thought that would be a nice gift for you all.

At the same time, though, I do not know when I will be posting again. We've had a bunch of people at our place and even more are coming! It gets very hectic, but I will do everything I can to update again soon.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Against the Wall.**

* * *

At the hospital, Sarah was rushed to a room, and they waited for a doctor. She was scared, and clung to Dustin's hand. "Have you gotten ahold of Conrad yet?"

Her best friend shook his head. "Not yet. He isn't picking up." They looked up as the doctor came in and she looked at Dustin.

"Go see if he is with Madi. Don't say anything, just bring him here." She told him quickly and he nodded.

Once he left the room, he rushed down to the floor where Madi's room was. He took a deep breath, but when he went inside, he didn't see Conrad. Silently cursing, not wanting to alarm Amber or Madi who were both asleep, he left and sighed.

He stood there for a minute, trying to figure out what to do. She had mentioned that only Donnie knew about the baby, so he pulled out his phone and quickly dialed.

"Hello?"

"Donnie? It's Dustin."

"Hey, dude. What's up?"

"I need you to do something for me." He paused. "Or, actually, for Sarah, really."

"What? What's going on?"

He sighed. "I am at the hospital with Sarah right now."

"Oh my God. What happened?"

"I don't know. She called him in a lot of pain. She couldn't get ahold of you, so I brought her here. But she doesn't want anyone to know, however, we can't find Conrad. I need you to find him and send him here. I will text you what's up when we find out."

"Already done. Dustin…take care of her."

"You know I will."

He hung up, glad that he was able to get ahold of Donnie. Now he could let Donnie worry about Conrad, while he worried about Sarah. Hurrying back up to her, he stopped outside the room and waited for the doctor to come out. A few minutes later, he did and saw Dustin standing there.

"She's fine. Mild cramping is common during pregnancy, although it can scare you. It was good that you brought her here. She is getting dressed and you can take her home. Just have her rest for a while, and she'll be fine."

Dustin sighed in relief and thanked him. A minute later, the door opened and he saw Sarah. "Hey."

She gave him a small smile. "Hey. Can we go home?"

He nodded and put his arm around her. "Yeah, come on."

One the ride home he sent Donnie a text, and told him to send Conrad to the apartment, should he find him. Conrad may have been his friend, but Sarah was his best friend and the fact that she had barely seen her fiancé in weeks made him angry. This was almost an emergency, and they couldn't find him.

Back at the apartment, Dustin got Sarah settled on the couch, and made her some food. He told her that he wasn't leaving until Conrad got home, or unless Donnie came by; he didn't want her by herself.

"Still nothing?" She asked after he checked his phone, playing with the trim on the blanket that was covering her.

He shook his head. "Sorry."

She nodded and sighed. Dustin looked at her for a second, and then sat next to her. "How are you feeling? Do you still hurt?"

She shook her head and looked up at him. "No. I am okay. They gave me something at the hospital. I'm just tired…"

He eyed her. "And sad." She looked up at him. "You're sad that Conrad wasn't there."

She bit her lip. "Yeah. I mean, he doesn't even know I'm pregnant. But still…what if something really bad had happened, Dustin? We couldn't even get ahold of him. I have barely seen him in two weeks! I mean…" She trailed off.

He watched her. "Go on."

She sighed. "People are supposed to be coming together right before we get married. Conrad and I are getting married in three weeks, and I feel like we haven't seen each other at all over the last two. I understand with everything going on, but…I'm scared, Dustin."

"Sarah you go months without seeing each other and you guys made it. You guys will be fine. You just have to tell him how you are feeling." He hugged her, and she smiled.

"Thanks for today."

He shrugged. "Hey you're my best friend. You smile, I smiled. You hurt, I hurt. You jump off a bridge, I'm going to miss your emails."

That got a little laugh out of her he was happy that he helped a little. A minute later, the door opened and Conrad came in.

"Hey, Dustin." Conrad said. "What's going on? Donnie cornered me at practice and told me to come home right away."

Sarah looked at Dustin and nodded. He stood. "Call me if you need anything."

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks for everything. I'll call you tomorrow."

He patted Conrad on the shoulder and quickly left the couple in their apartment. Conrad looked confused, and turned to her. "Sarah? What's going on? Is everything okay?"

She looked up at him and he could instantly tell that she was pissed. "No. Everything is not okay." She slowly stood and faced him. "Conrad…I understand that you want to be with Madi every chance you can while she is in the hospital. But she is going to be fine, and even though I know she needs you, I need you too. We tried calling you for hours today and couldn't find you."

"I'm sorry, Sarah! I was visiting Madi and then I left to go to practice. I didn't have my phone on me." He defended and she rolled her eyes.

"I barely ever see you anymore." She paused. "I'm pregnant."

Conrad froze and stared at her. "What?"

She nodded. "Remember when you came to visit me a couple months ago? Well…now I'm pregnant." She sighed. "And today, Dustin had to take me to the hospital."

Immediately he was worried. "Oh my God, what?" He walked to her. "Come on, let's sit down."

He covered her with the blanket again and she nodded. "I was in so much pain." She told him everything the doctor told her and he hugged her when she started to cry. "I was so scared, Conrad. And Dustin couldn't find you and all I wanted was you with me."

He held her tightly against him and sighed, kissing her hair. "I'm so sorry. I promise I will spend more time here with you. Oh God…if I had known…"

"I know. But with everything going on with Madi, I knew that I should wait until the right time to tell you."

He kissed her and laid his hand on her stomach. "I love you."


	11. Telling the Family

As the wedding came closer Conrad and Sarah had a lot to do. Once Madi was finally able to go home, they could focus more on the big day and the last minute things that had to get done. Since the wedding party was made up of her family, Conrad's family, Dustin, and Cassie she chose to have dinner at her parents' house following the rehearsal the night before the wedding. Cassie had come into Chicago the week prior, and as much as Sarah told her she could stay with them, she fought her.

"I'm staying with Abby." She told her best friend. "You and Conrad have one more week together before you're married. I don't want my presence in your apartment to be what stops you from…certain things you might want to do."

"Cassie!" she laughed and hit her friend.

Needless to say, the boys weren't exactly happy when they found out. But everything had worked itself out and they finally made it to the night before.

As everyone sat around the table talking, laughing, and eating, Sarah smiled as she sipped her water and watched it all. She couldn't believe how lucky she had gotten with being blessed with a family like this one. She never thought she would have it, and now she did and it seemed like all her dreams were coming true.

"I can't believe our last child is getting married tomorrow." Sheila said and Abby looked at her.

"You didn't act like this when Brody and I got married." Abby joked.

"You and John had liked each other for so long, it was bound to happen." She smiled.

"So were these two!"

"There is a simple explanation for that, Abby." Sarah smiled at her sister. "She likes me better."

Abby's jaw fell open and she threw a biscuit at her. Sarah laughed and threw a crouton back at her.

"Okay." Don laughed. "That's enough throwing of the lovely food your mother has made tonight." He paused. "You can do that later, when you stay at Abby's tonight."

They all laughed and Sarah sighed. "Hey, Conrad and I just wanted to say thanks to all of you. These past few months haven't been easy and you guys helped us with a lot."

He nodded. "Especially when my sister was in the hospital. I really appreciate everything you guys have done and that you actually let me date Sarah back in high school. I remember how…interesting that started out."

The guys laughed and Richie nodded. "Yeah, well, you hurt her, and we kill you."

Sarah rolled her eyes and smiled. "Oh whatever."

"Here's a piece of advice for you Sarah, that we have all learned being married to these men." Gail smiled. "Never go to bed angry…stay awake and plot your revenge."

Steve gave her a look and Sarah grinned. "Oh I like that advice!"

Conrad groaned. "Thanks, Gail. Thanks a lot."

Cassie turned to her best friend. "Also, you need to have kids soon. I want to be an aunt and the only way that is happening is if you and Conrad have some kids."

Laura nodded right away. "Yeah, William and the girls need someone to play with." She smiled.

Sarah bit her lip and looked at Conrad who nodded. She cleared her throat. "Uh…can they wait about six months?"

Sheila dropped her fork and Cassie grinned. The boys, minus Donnie and Dustin, looked shocked and her sisters were excited.

Don looked at her. "Does that mean what I think it does?"

She nodded, a smile on her face. "I found out the same day my grandparents came to town. I didn't tell Dustin until just before Madi got out of the hospital. We told his she and Amber after we got her home, and we figured tonight would be a good night to share it, since everyone was here."

"So you really waited to tell us all until now?" Sheila laughed and stood to walk to her daughter.

"Well…actually Dustin and Donnie knew."

As she walked past, Sheila smacked them in the back of the head as she walked past, since they were sitting next to each other. Then she went and hugged her daughter while congratulations were given.

"I can't believe that right after you get married you're going to be a mom." Abby smiled.

"She can do it." Brody winked at her. "They've come this far."

Conrad nodded. "Thanks, Brody."

"Hey…I know what it's like to be married to a Kowalski woman. Anytime you need me, just call."

Sarah and Abby both looked at him. "We are not that bad."

He put his hands up in mock surrender and they rolled their eyes. "Remember we will both be at the apartment tonight. I would watch your back if I were you." Abby reminded him.

He rolled his eyes. "I think I can handle myself."

Sarah sighed. "Mhmm. Sure…whatever you say."

"Why do you always have to have a sarcastic attitude about everything?" Richie asked her.

"Richie, sarcasm isn't an attitude…it's an art." She winked at him and continued to eat.

…

Later that night, Sarah sat on the rooftop in front of the fire, thinking about the next day.

"Hey." She looked up and saw Abby, who carried two mugs of hot chocolate.

She smiled and grabbed her mug. "Thanks."

"So, you thinking about tomorrow?" Abby asked her and she nodded.

"I mean, nothing will really change. I already live with him, you guys like him, and he is already part of the family. I guess I am just worried about going back on tour and the media. I don't know, is that stupid?"

Her sister shook her head. "No it is not stupid at all. But you have to remember that Conrad already knows what you do and what that entails. He is prepared for that."

She nodded. "It's weird, Abby." She sighed. "I'm getting married tomorrow."

Abby smiled and nodded. "I know."

"I just feel bad that his dad isn't here for it." She shrugged.

"Well this is what I know. The ones that love us, never truly leave us. His dad will be there for the whole day, especially in his heart."

Sarah smiled. "I guess you're right."

"I know I am."

Sarah laughed. "Wow, Abby."

* * *

Here comes the wedding! I don't know if it will be next or in two chapters, but it is coming! Review and let me know what you think. :)


	12. The Big Day

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, but here is the next update! It isn't too long, but I will be updating more frequetly now. My vacation kept getting extended and we leave tomorrow morning. :(**

**It makes me sad to leave, because I have to leave my best friend behind. It is never enough time with him and we both cried saying goodbye last night.**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Sarah sighed tiredly as she rolled over on the bed in the guest room of her sister's apartment. She slowly and deliriously rubbed at her sleep-filled eyes and stretched her body out. Light was streaming through the windows, she could tell, and she slowly opened her eyes to look around the room. It didn't take her long to realize that she was still at Abby and Brody's place. Suddenly her eyes popped open and stared around with wide eyes.

"Oh my God." She whispered and shot up in bed. "I'm getting married today."

She held the blankets close to her chest as she let the thought set into her brain and she was barely starting her freak out when the door opened and Abby poked her head in, a huge grin on her face.

"It just hit you, didn't it?" She said knowingly.

Sarah continued to stare at the wall opposite her, and Abby sat down on the bed next to her. "This is your big day. How are you holding up?"

"Well…I've been awake for about five minutes and I've almost had a panic attack." Then she smiled. "I'm getting married!"

They hugged and their laughter brought Brody to the room. He knocked first, then peeked his head in with a smirk. "Good morning. Would either of you like some breakfast?"

They nodded and Sarah sighed. "I don't know how much I'll be able to eat, but it does sound good."

...

Three hours later, the girls were sitting inside of a tent getting ready. Conrad and Sarah had decided early in their engagement that they wanted to be married in the field where he took her on her 18th birthday and eventually made it happen. There were two tents set up (one for the guys, and one for the girls).

"I can't believe my last child is getting married." Sheila smiled as she touched her daughter's shoulder.

Sarah nodded. "It's so weird. But it seems so right."

"How are you feeling?" Gail asked her and handed her a water bottle.

Sarah took a deep breath. "I'm a little nauseous, but that is just nerves I think." She paused. "Other than that, I'm okay."

Sheila was about to speak when she heard a small commotion and excused herself from the tent. When she got outside she saw what the problem was.

"Steve!" She walked over to her son, who was in an argument. "I can handle this."

Steve backed off, but didn't leave. Sheila faced the couple. "You need to leave."

"We have every right to be here." Katherine told her.

"You have no right!" Sheila yelled at her. "My daughter doesn't want you here, so you have to leave. Remember that my husband is a cop and so are my sons, one of which is standing behind me. They can make you leave if you don't do so willingly."

Katherine gave her a look and just as William stepped forward, so did Steve. He eyed the man and he stopped. Then slowly, he grabbed his wife's arm and they left.

"Way to go, Mom. I haven't heard you yell like that in years." He told her and she smiled.

"This is Sarah's big day. Nothing is going to ruin it."

…

As the music started, the butterflies in Sarah's stomach increased and she clutched her boutique of blue roses tightly. She watched her bridesmaids walked down the aisle; first Madi, then Laura, then Gail, Cassie, and Abby. As Ellen and Faith walked out spreading their flower petals, she looked up at Don.

"Are you ready for this?" He asked with a smile.

She nodded. "Yeah…I think I am. Just don't let me fall."

He shook his head. "Never."

Slowly, they walked down the aisle and as her eyes locked with Conrad's, she couldn't help but smile. When she made it to the front, the ceremony began. The minute the words 'objection' and 'speak now or forever hold your peace' were uttered the whole Kowalski family (including Conrad and Dustin) looked around for the grandparents. Luckily, they were nowhere in sight, so the ceremony continued. When they came to their vows, Conrad went first.

"I remember talking to my dad when I was younger about falling in love. He said that one day I'd bump into my soul-mate somewhere and I'd know that she was the one. Well, I finally bumped into her during my senior year. Literally. I knocked your books everywhere." People laughed and he smirked. "I knew in that moment that you were different than anyone I had gone out with. I knew you were the one my dad had told me I would find. And ever since then, every day of my life has been leading to this moment. When you finally said yes, it was a dream come true for me. Now I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend…well, other than Dustin. Sorry, dude." He glanced at Dustin, who shook his head with a chuckle. "I love you, Sarah."

She had tears in her eyes and she tried to blink them away as she began to speak. "In the orphanage, there wasn't a lot to do. I spent a lot of my time reading. I grew up reading Nicholas Sparks' books. He said once that 'A guy out there was meant to be the love of your life, your best friend, your soul-mate. The one you can tell your dreams to. He'll brush the hair out of your eyes. Send you flowers when you least expect it. He'll stare at you during the movies, even though he paid eight dollars to see it. He'll call to say "Goodnight" or just because he is missing you. He'll look in your eyes and tell you you're the most beautiful girl in the world. And for the first time in your life, you'll believe it.' And I didn't really get it…until I met you." She swallowed and smiled. "Honestly, I didn't think we'd get this far. I seriously thought my brothers would have killed you by now. But the fact that they didn't, shows me that you really are the perfect guy for me, because anyone that is able to really, truly charm my brothers is worth it. And that's you."

They exchanged their rings after that and not long after, they were finally husband and wife.


End file.
